Bonded
by Anakerie
Summary: They called him "The Necromancer" but Jade had never had much luck actually raising the dead. This time he's determined not to fail, but has Saphir been gone too long for Jade to resurrect? Jade/Dist. See profile for bonus section "Initium".
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes:

I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any characters featured therein.

This story has been rattling around my head for a good year now, and I decided it was time to let it out before it peed on the floor. A few things to mention:

1) During the game, Jade refers to Saphir as a "servant from his childhood." Later, he states that he was Saphir's owner and that he was a "charming pet."

2) Peony's observation to Saphir about his inability to harm Jade is based on my own copy of the game, which I have determined has an odd but funny glitch. No matter how many times I fight Dist, he never touches Jade. He has no problem wiping out my other characters, but Jade never loses so much as a hit-point.

3) After Jade "questions" Dist in Keterburg, the other characters muse about why he's so mean to him, and decide that it's just to hide the way he really feels. "Sort of like being angry at someone you've fallen in love with" is the quote, I believe.

4) The "Story of Dhaos" Saphir refers to is actually the plot of "Tales of Phantasia".

This story is gluten-free. It does contain slash, some mild violence and language, and Jade being Jade. While not a song fic, I've never been able to listen to U2's "One" without thinking about the "Keterburg Crown Jewels", so if you like to read while listening to music, I highly suggest that.

**Bonded**

Chapter 1

What was that old saying, "be careful what you wish for"?

Even as a little boy, above all other things in life, what Saphir had wished for every day was time to just… think. That was all. Just time to think. And like most of his wishes, it had proved harder to fulfill in those days than it really should have been. There was always somewhere that he needed to be, or something he needed to be doing. His mother had believed that if he was simply sitting around staring out the window it indicated boredom, and she'd been…enthusiastic about finding something productive for him to do. Usually, it involved shoving him in the general direction of the other children in town. Not so much because she worried about his lack of friends, he had suspected at the time, but that she was proud of the fact that her son, the illegitimate son of a scullery maid, could even at 6 think circles around most of his peers. He was a bragging right, one of the few she had, and he had (although often grudgingly) tried to indulge her. Even when it did cut into his highly valued "Saphir" time.

How bitterly and wonderfully ironic that now he had all the time in the world to sit alone and think, and there were days he wanted nothing more than to hear his mother's voice nagging him to "go outside and go ice-skating or something".

Two weeks down, a lifetime to go. However long that might be.

Saphir leaned back on the thin cot, staring up at the rough hew of the stone ceiling. His fingers (musicians fingers, his mother had called them) picking aimlessly at the threadbare gray blanket. There were a few books to read; they allowed him a few minutes in the evening to go into the library and choose new ones, after the others were asleep or safely locked up in their cages. Afterward he was allowed 10 minutes in the lukewarm shower (the water was kept tepid to keep his fellow prisoners from scalding each other in moments of pique). Afterward he was escorted back here to read, sleep, and brood. And think. Even his meals were brought to his cell.

It was Peony's doing, and for the first time in his life Saphir found himself dubiously grateful to the emperor. He shifted on the mattress, and absently reached up to rub at his bruised cheek. A week ago he'd been attacked by the other inmates, who were delighted to have a former God General at their disposal. Before the guards had arrived he'd been beaten badly; there was no doubt in Saphir's mind that had the guards not shown up when they did he'd have died right next to the laundry tubs that night.

Afterward he'd been isolated from the others for his own protection, and the only reason that he wasn't more grateful for that small kindness was because it seemed that maybe it would have been better to have died at the hands of the others, instead of this endlessly gray, silent life he'd been given instead.

The food they brought him wasn't bad; oddly enough it was better than some inns served. But shortly after his attack, he'd found he had no taste for it at all and had been sending his trays back mostly full. Not a hunger strike; he wasn't protesting anything. He simply found that he lacked the energy to put much effort into anything that prolonged his misery.

Maybe, he mused, he could attack a guard. One of the silent pair who came each night to escort him to the other end of the prison. No, they'd only subdue him. They wouldn't risk their jobs by killing him. The only chance of that was to convince someone that he wanted to go back into the general population, and he doubted he'd have much luck with that.

His cheek still hurt, although it was healing nicely. No one wasted a 7th fonist on convicted felon, and besides, what little gossip he was able to glean told him that without Lorelei fonic arts weren't that dependable these days anyway. And with healing arts being so questionable the price of gels had become astronomical. He'd have to heal on his own, in his own time.

Well, what else did he have but time, anyway?

He closed his eyes, and was nearly asleep when he heard the grinding of the cell door open, and the tread of sure footsteps, different than the clicking the boots of the guards made.

"You look like hell." The voice was cheerful.

At that Saphir did open his eyes, and granted his visitor with what he hoped was a withering look. It didn't last long. Withering looks were exhausting. He closed his eyes again, trying to make his unwanted guest vanish by sheer force of will.

"Heard you haven't been eating." The visitor continued, and Saphir sensed the man sitting down next to the cot.

"And you were beside yourself with worry. How kind." Saphir was surprised that his voice sounded raspy, and tried to remember when the last time he'd spoken out loud was. "Surely you have better things to do than come here to torment me. Didn't you get enough of that when we were children?"

"Did I ever apologize to you for that? I should. I was a little beast to you back then. Not that you were very nice to me either, but… I'm sorry. I was always jealous of you, you know."

That surprised Saphir enough to warrant opening his eyes again to give his visitor a startled look. Peony pretended not to notice and continued.

"You could speak to him…you know, you could speak his language. I could be his friend, but you actually understood what he was talking about. I remember listening to the two of you going over theories and equations, and not understanding a word of it. I used to have these fantasies that as soon as I became emperor I'd have you assigned to Chesadonia or some other forsaken place." Peony shook his head, laughing a little. "Anyway, you didn't deserve it. Not then, anyway."

"So after all these years, you came here to apologize?" Saphir stared back at the ceiling. "Fine. Accepted. Now go run your country and leave me in peace."

"Nah, that's just something I decided to throw in while I was here. And don't get too comfortable there. You're getting out of here."

"I…beg your pardon?"

Peony gave him a grin that would have melted any other heart. "I said you're getting out of here."

"I'm being released?"

"Not in this lifetime. I didn't say you were being released. You're just not going to serve your sentence here. We did some brainstorming after you were attacked, and, well… it just seems kind of a waste. You rotting down here and all. Locked up away from everyone else. I've been in that situation. I remember what it felt like, and by the looks of you, you're not holding up very well either. So we came up with another solution."

_Well, not we. I nearly fell out of my chair when he suggested it. It was insane. It hasn't been done in 150 years. But… when was I ever able to tell him no?_

"I'm being executed, then." It was said flatly, without a hint of emotion.

"Of course not. You're being Bonded."

That caused Saphir to bolt upright on the cot and give the emperor his full attention. He tried to speak, but only managed to get out a sort of humiliating squeak.

"You're being transferred from prison to the home of your Bond Master. There, you'll serve out your sentence doing whatever he asks you to do. My best guess is a lot of cooking and cleaning. I'm sure he'll find something useful to keep you busy and out of trouble."

"Slavery!" Saphir spat out the word. "Call it what you want it, it's slavery! It's barbaric! It hasn't been done in centuries!"

Peony shrugged. "If you want to think of it like that."

"I refuse! I'll take my chances in here."

"Sorry, not an option. The good tax-payers of Grand Chokmah are tired of footing your hotel bill. You can leave on your own or I can have the guards drag you out of here kicking and screaming, but either way, you're going."

"So whose boots did you chose for me to lick?"

"Come on. You're supposed to be the genius here. Do you really have to ask that?"

Saphir paled. "No…"

"Oh, it won't be so bad. Under the law he's not allowed to beat you or maim you. What do you think he's going to do, sneer you to death?" Peony was in a good mood. Saphir's reaction was proving incredibly amusing.

"He'll never agree to it." Saphir tried one last move. "He hates me. The last thing he'll want is me under foot."

"Actually, it was his idea. I'll admit I wasn't really on board at first, but he made some good points." The emperor sighed and turned serious. "Look, Saphir. Bottom line is, you're dying in here. We both know it. Jade knows it. Maybe this is a crazy idea, but he seems to think that if he gets you out of here, maybe there'll be something worth salvaging someday. If nothing else, this way he can order you to put your brain to use for the good of Malkuth. You can look at it as slavery, or you can look at it as a second chance. He won't hurt you. He gave me his word."

Not physically, maybe. Saphir tried to swallow down a range of conflicting emotions. Jade didn't need to beat him senseless or slit his throat. He was far more creative than that. "What's to keep me there? And what's to keep me for sticking a knife in his back the minute it's turned?"

"First question, we're coding your fonon frequency to his security system. Go past the property line and you'll find yourself knocked out cold. As to the second question, three reasons. One, I trust Jade to be able to take care of himself. Two, because Jade is bound by the law not to harm you: I'm not." He grinned again, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Three. He told me something interesting. In all the times you took him and the kiddies on, you only attacked them. You never once laid a hand on him. You couldn't hurt him then and you won't hurt him now."

"I will. I swear I will. He'll be dead by nightfall."

"Well, give it your best." Peony stood up and stretched, and Saphir wrinkled is nose at the faint smell of rappig. "The guards will be coming in about an hour to escort you out of here." He paused. "Think about what I said about second chances. Good luck. I'll be checking on your progress."

Then he was gone, and missed the prison library book being hurled at the bars behind his back.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"The package you ordered will arrive later today." Peony lounged against the wall, chewing on his thumbnail.

"I see. And how did the package take the news?"

"Not well. That surprised me. I thought he'd be sobbing with gratitude at the thought of living with you, sleeping near you, washing your undies... Instead he promised to stab you the first chance he gets"

Peony paused, and then plunged on.

"Jade, have you really thought about this? I'm not entirely convinced this is a good idea. We can have him transferred somewhere else."

"I have thought about it. You know my reasons." Jade's fingers danced along the edges of his trousers, stark black against the deep blue of his long-sleeved shirt. Jade was the only person Peony had ever known who looked a thousand times more intimidating in casual clothing than in his standard uniform.

"I know you feel responsible..."

"I told you before, I don't want to talk about it. Suffice it to say that if I'm to go around lecturing everyone on the virtues of taking ownership of one's mistakes, it's time I take charge of my own."

"Your mistake could cost you your life."

"You should have taken the stage. You have such a flare for the overdramatic, Your Majesty. At the most he'll blow his nose on my favorite shirts and whimper a lot. And then of course I'll have to punish him."

"If at any time I think it's getting out of control, I'm sending him back."

"Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for my delivery."

*********************************************************

He wished they'd sent a carriage for him.

Saphir walked along the cobblestone street, flanked by his two escorts, his hands firmly bound behind his back. Of course people were staring, gawking, slack-jawed yokels to the core of them. He stared back, and they smiled. Actually smiled. A few of them laughed outright. Here was the great God-General Dist the Rose, practically swimming in faded gray prison clothing, rail-thin, ratty-haired. What he wouldn't give for a laser...

But the real reason he wished they'd given him the option of riding was because before they were even halfway to Saphir's new prison (as he thought of it) he was so exhausted that each step was agony. The lack of food and warm day were causing his head to spin, and each time he stumbled, the stone-faced guards simply hauled him back to his feet and pushed him forward.

Maybe he'd die on the way, he thought sourly. It would serve them right. Not that anyone would miss him, but at least they'd have to explain to Jade why he'd been denied his chance for revenge

He could only hope, and not with much hope, that Jade would grow bored with torturing him and kill him quickly. To think he'd been feeling sorry for himself for being so bored in his cell. Jade clearly hadn't been bored. Jade had simply been bidding his time, trying to think of something really rotten to do to his old companion. He'd just been waiting until Saphir was too weak to fight back. Coward.

Rather than heading for the huge, hulkingly ugly Curtiss manor, the guards instead turned down a small side street, and lead their reluctant captive toward a much smaller house, almost a cottage, surrounded by a high stone wall. Saphir barely enough time to take in a fountain and small, well-kept garden, before they were pushing him up the steps toward the front door.

The dizziness was getting worse, propped up by low blood sugar and fear. Saphir barely had time to take in the front door opening and a glint of sunlight off of glasses before the world turned completely dark.

*******************

The guards glanced at each other worriedly, and then up at Jade, not entirely sure how they were to blame for their captive passing out cold on the Colonel's doorstep but certain that somehow they'd be held responsible.

Jade peered down at the slight figure sprawled at his feet and sighed. "Thank you, gentlemen. If you'll uncuff him that will be all."

The first guard hurried to obey, hooking the cuffs back onto his belt. With hasty bows in the direction of Colonel Curtiss, the pair took off, their duty done.

Jade knelt down next to Saphir, grabbed him roughly by the armpits, and dragged him into the cooler interior of the cottage, depositing the limp form on a rather hideous looking sofa that had come with the house. Absently he kicked the front door shut behind him, and knelt again to examine the other man, his eyes narrow now with concern.

He had noticed, because it had simply been impossible not to notice, that Peony hadn't been exaggerating how shop-worn Saphir was looking these days. Not that there had ever been much meat on him, but Jade could clearly see the outline of his bones through the sallow skin (he'd felt them as he carried him in) and the dark pits where his eyes were sunken into his head. The only spots of color on him were the garish, half-faded greenish yellow bruises. Jade had hauled bodies off of the battlefield that looked more lively.

Shaking his head a little, he walked the short distance into the neat, wooden-paneled kitchen area of the house and filled a pewter mug with ice cold water. Returning to Saphir's unconscious form, he paused for a moment, and then with a flick of his wrist splashed the entire contents of the mug into his face.

"Whaaaa...." Saphir came to, sputtering, his vision obscured by the water on his glasses.

"Oh good, you're awake. I expected you to be properly grateful, but there really wasn't a need to throw yourself at my feet, you know. You make a very hideous welcome mat. What would my neighbors think?"

"Jade..." Saphir's confused mind tried valiantly to pull the pieces together. "What happened?"

"You passed out. I'm not surprised. When was the last time you ate something?"

The smaller man managed to pull himself together with as much dignity as he could, which at the moment wasn't much, to be honest. "Don't pretend you give a damn. Just kill me now and get it over with. That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

"Oh dear, this is embarrassing. Peony assured me that he'd filled you in on all the details. Was he telling fibs again?"

"I know what Pea-brain said! He said I was to be your.... your damn slave! I'm sure you both had a good laugh about it, but either kill me or let me go back to the prison."

"Sorry, neither option appeals to me. Are you able to walk?"

"Why?"

"Because you need food, and I don't feel like carrying you into the kitchen, that's why. We'll discuss the details of our new arrangement after you've had something to eat."

"There's nothing to discuss. And the only reason you'd ever offer me food is if you've poisoned it!"

Jade's patience was quickly wearing thin. "You can either walk into the kitchen of your own free will, or I will carry you there. And if I have to carry you, I will tie you to the chair and force-feed you. I'm willing to be sympathetic to a point, on account of your physical condition right now. However, you might as well understand now that when I agreed to become your Bond Master I took that very seriously. You will obey, or you will be punished." Jade's eyes flicked to the bruises and his tone softened slightly. "But you won't be beaten. I promise you."

Too weary in body and spirit to resist, Saphir managed to lurch onto unsteady feet and follow docilely behind Jade into the next room, where he found himself pushed down into a wood chair, and a moment later a platter of bread and a bowl of steaming broth shoved under his nose.

"Nothing too hard on your stomach right away. Eat slowly."

Still expecting the worst, Saphir gave his former friend a wary look and cautiously took a spoonful of the soup. It wasn't the best thing he'd ever tasted, but he couldn't detect any poison just from the taste alone. It was, in fact, rather bland.

Throwing caution to the wind, and mostly because eating gave him something to do other than be stared at by Jade, Saphir finished his meal in silence, surprised by the sudden return of his appetite. He may not have had much interest in food, but his body clearly did, and responded quickly. When Jade finally spoke again, Saphir almost jumped, so into his dinner he'd nearly forgotten the other man was there.

"Saphir, whether or not your time here is pleasant or miserable rests entirely in your own hands." Jade began.

"Why?" Saphir interrupted. "If you're not planning on killing me or beating me, then why am I here?"

"Because I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"I hope you didn't strain yourself."

Jade considering warning him against being disrespectful, but decided that on this first day he'd let it slide. For now.

"You're here for a number of reasons, and I don't feel like explaining them in great detail at the moment. The simplest explanation is I'm going to tell you want to do, and you're going to do it. It's not as if you don't have experience in this sort of thing, after all. You were a more than adequate servant."

_The new maid's son hadn't really interested him much. A skinny, ugly little boy who darted out of sight the moment anyone looked at him too closely. Not until the night that he'd gone down to the library and found the other boy pouring over the same books Jade himself had come to peruse. It was startling, but even more so to realize that not only did Saphir understand what he was reading, but had formed his own ideas and theories that were in some cases superior to Jade's own. _

_He'd been afraid when Jade had caught him, afraid of being punished for reading the young Master's books without permission, and already terrified of Jade's less-than-glowing reputation. Instead, in the dim candle-light, he'd found a soul-mate, and from that moment on he lived and breathed for Jade, Jade's needs, and Jade's happiness._

_Jade never asked that Saphir be made his servant. Saphir had taken on the task entirely on his own. Whether it was making the young Master's bed, carrying his books, bringing a tray of food up to his room when he was too busy studying, or simply being a sounding board for a new idea, the other boy willingly and happily did it all, and before the end of a month Jade wondered how he'd ever coped without his little "pet"._

That stung, the reminder of his childhood status, how pathetically grateful he'd been to have Master Balfour treating him like an equal. "You've already said you won't beat me. Not that I believe that, mind you. So what if I refuse to play along with this travesty?"

"Then you'll be punished." Jade shrugged. "I'm not sending you back to the prison, so get that idea out of your mind. I don't need to beat you to punish you, and I highly doubt I'll have much trouble getting you to cooperate. And you know from experience that I can be a very generous owner if I choose to be."

_He was always giving him books. Not books for the library; his own books. Parts for his robots. Treats and playthings from the local shops, things Saphir never could have afforded on his own. Most of those things were hidden deep inside Ortion cavern, where most likely they'd never be found. Those old books and toys were still just as precious to him as they'd been in his boyhood. _

Jade pointed in the distance at a closed door. "My library. Once your chores are done you have full access day and night. In time I may even consider allowing you to have a work station again for your experiments. If you're especially well-behaved, I could be persuaded to take you out into the city from time to time. I'm sure there are other things you'll want eventually; again it's entirely up to you if you get them."

He didn't miss the flicker of greed in Saphir's eyes as he looked toward the library door. Outings into the city were one thing, but unrestricted access to as many books as he wished was something else entirely.

"So you see, this works out well for both of us. You have a safe, comfortable place to live, and I get the benefit of clean floor. That's all I'm going to tell you for now." He held up his hand to stall the barge of questions still trying to escape from his servant. "I was going to put you to work right away, but you're clearly not up to it. Come. I'll show you your quarters."

The room was small, not much bigger than Saphir's prison cell, but the first thing he noticed was the bed. A real bed, tiny but with a real mattress, not just a feather-stuffed cushion over metal bars. A wardrobe took up most of the far wall, and through another door he could see a small bathroom.

"Get some sleep. I'll expect breakfast at 7AM sharp. You know what I enjoy." He smiled, that sudden, dangerous smile that had sent lesser men fleeing in horror. "And Saphir, if I wake up and find you passed out again outside from a failed escape attempt, I will be very, very angry with you."

"And what I stab you in your sleep?"

"You won't. It takes a great deal of physical strength to stab someone, you know. You couldn't stab a loaf of bread right now. But do try: it could be highly amusing. The knives are in the far left kitchen drawer if you work up the courage. Goodnight Saphir." He left the smaller man to sputter in anger, pulling the heavy oak door of the bedroom closed behind him.

Gathering up his pride, Saphir stalked over to the wardrobe, yanking the doors open, and then making a grimace of disgust. More gray. Gray shirts, long and short-sleeved, gray pants. Not a spot of color on anything. The material was nicer than the prison clothing; softer, in any case, but still… he shut the wardrobe door with a snort.

The bathroom was a nicer surprise, especially when he discovered that the shower actually dispensed hot water. He practically whimpered in pleasure as the warm spray drenched him. Somewhere along the line, he'd come to the conclusion that he was destined never to have a hot shower again for the rest of his life. He scrubbed fiercely, trying to wash away the stink and feel of the prison, and only when his skin was red and raw did he finally, reluctantly, return to the little bedroom.

The bed was a soft as it looked, softer than he remembered anything ever being. He was almost asleep when the alarm bells went off in his head again. Perfect. It was too perfect. It had to be a trap. Feed him, let him have a warm shower, get him all sleepy and dull his senses, and then attack. He bolted out of bed and ran to the door, feeling around in vain for a lock. Of course there was no lock. Why would Jade have allowed him a lock?

The feeling of claustrophobia was choking him. He was trapped. Trapped like an animal in a cage. At least in prison they'd locked the other animals away from him.

He lay back down on the bed, staring at the door, waiting for it to creak open. He managed to stay alert for at least ten minutes before sleep finally claimed him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

No breakfast awaited Jade the next morning.

He hadn't really expected there to be. He knew that Saphir was drained to the dregs, and if his new servant had still been asleep he would have overlooked it. But a few minutes earlier he'd clearly heard the former God-General sneaking out of his room and into the library.

Jade's mouth tightened into a grimace. He had known it would come to this soon enough. To be honest, if Saphir had meekly submitted to his new position Jade would have suspected that he was up to something. It was a positive sign that prison hadn't broken his spirit, but if this was to work then he had to learn, and quickly, that Jade was taking this seriously. If he didn't, then he had no business calling himself a Bond Master.

He quietly eased the door of the library open. Curled up on a sofa and engrossed into his book, Saphir didn't even notice until Jade pulled the volume out of his hands.

For a moment they stared at each other, Jade in displeasure and Saphir in frightened defiance, neither speaking.

"I believe you forgot something this morning. I remember distinctly telling you that the library was only yours once your chores were complete. Surely that was simple enough for you to understand." Jade's voice was low and quiet. "What parts of my instructions were not clear?"

Saphir didn't answer, just continued to glare up at him.

"You have a choice. You can go into the kitchen immediately and do what you were told, or this room will be off-limits to you until further notice. As it is you're banned from the library for the rest of the day."

"And if I still refuse to…serve you, _Master?" _Saphir spat.

"I'll strip you down to your underwear, tie you up, and leave you sitting in the front yard for anyone who comes by to gawk at. I'm sure you'll be fascinating entertainment."

He was serious. He was completely and totally serious. Saphir tried to swallow his rage as he brushed past Jade and stormed into the kitchen. "And what would my _master_ like to eat this morning?"

"Fried eggs will be fine, thank you, if you think your stomach can handle that."

"So I'm permitted to eat as well? Master is too generous."

He would permit the sarcasm, Jade decided. It was actually amusing, as long as that was a far as Saphir took his defiance. "If your nose runs on my eggs, I shall be very cross with you." He couldn't resist adding.

"Lucky I don't throw an egg at your head."

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. It sounded like a threat."

Several minutes later, Saphir slammed a plate of rather questionable looking eggs in front of Jade, and without a word turned to focus on preparing his own meal.

"I'll be gone a good portion of the day today. The laundry is in the small building out back; everything you need should be there. The cleaning supplies are in the hall closet. I'll expect the floors and dishes to be done as well by the time I get home this evening."

"Should I have dinner waiting?"

"That won't be necessary, but thank you. See? You're adapting already. As a reward, I won't lock the library before I leave after all."

"Master is most kind."

"I like that. I wasn't going to insist upon it, but since it was your idea, 'master' will do when you address me."

Glaring over the frying pan, Saphir was tempted to ask if "Master" also wanted his servant to polish his boots with his tongue before he headed out the door, but stopped himself just in time.

Jade was just cruel enough to say yes.

***********************

Wearily, Jade made his way home that evening, his head aching.

The girl was young, pretty, and had recently given birth to her first child, also female. It should have been a time for celebration.

Of course, the girl in question hadn't even been alive a year; the replica of the beloved only child of a wealthy Grand Chokmah family. A child who had died tragically, of course.

The replica, who called herself Jane, had no idea who the father of her child was, having been (as too many of them had been) taken advantage of shortly after her creation. Still, she had adapted well enough to have a good sense of herself, who and what she was, and to love her daughter. She'd even found friends willing to support her and care for her.

The problem was the parents of the original wanted the infant. Not Jane: Jane they considered sort of a monstrosity. But they wanted the little girl, and were more than willing to use every bit of influence at their command to try and get her.

It was just one of the many moral and ethical issues surrounding the surviving replicas that had sprung up. Normally it would have been Peony's problem to deal with, but as Jade had created the issue to begin with, he had no choice but to involve himself in trying to get the mess straightened out as much as possible.

He let himself into the little house, noticing with some approval that Saphir had definitely put some effort into cleaning it up. Not that it had been messy to begin with, but it was dusted, and the floor glistened with a coat of fresh polish.

The light was shining under the library door, and Jade let himself in, once again to find Saphir curled up again on the couch, deeply engrossed in the same volume from earlier. This time he noticed Jade's presence, but barely glanced at him before focusing again on what he was reading. There was a wariness but no fear. He'd done the chores Jade had assigned him; he was well within his rights to be here this time.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

Jade raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"Yes…._Master_."

"Good boy." He craned his neck to look at the book. "What are you reading?"

"Just a story." He paused for a moment. "Jade…may I ask you something?"

Jade sat down on the edge of the couch. "What's on your mind?" He ignored the use of his given name.

"This story… have you read it?"

"I'm not certain. Which one is it?"

"The story of Dhaos."

"Ah, that one. Yes, I remember. An interesting little fairy tale, if I recall correctly."

"What if it's not?" He glanced up at Jade, and the Colonel was surprised to see a light in his eyes, a ghost of excitement. He looked almost eerily like his childhood self for a moment . "Some people say it really happened. Do you think it's possible?"

"Time travel?" Jade leaned back against the arm of the couch, knowing without question exactly what part of the story Saphir was asking about. "Not likely."

"Why not? Why couldn't it be possible?" Saphir argued.

"Because of the potential for a paradox, for one thing. Suppose you went back in time and killed your parents before you were born. Since you never existed, how could you go back in time and kill them?"

"They address that here." Saphir waved the book. "According to the theories here, time is like… a stream. A stream of water. And you can climb in and out of the stream at any time. If you go back and change something, it creates another stream, an offshoot. So your timeline wouldn't be changed, but another one would be created, running next to the original. You could, in theory, travel between multiple realities if you had the technology to do it."

"Again, just a theory. I for one hope it remains just that. I doubt there's any man out there strong enough to resist the temptation it would present. I'm certainly no different."

Saphir leaned forward. "But what if we used it for good? There's no Score any more. The potential…"

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions. There would be no using it for good. Going back and saving one life might cause another never to exist. Three days ago, a child was born to a replica. If I were to go back in time and stop myself from ever making a replica, that child would not exist. The boy that I knew as Luke fon Fabre never would have existed." There was the briefest flash of pain in Jade's eyes. "I don't have the right to make that kind of decision because it's not just my life that it affects."

"You would have, once."

"Yes, I would have. I would have used your hypothetical time machine to make all kinds of changes, tweaking the world exactly to my liking. The young are notoriously short-sighted and selfish, and I was worse than most. And yes, before you even ask, I would have gone back and saved her. Of course I would have."

"So why not now? Why did you change? Why did you abandon everything we'd worked so hard for?" _Why did you abandon me? Why couldn't you see how much I needed you? How much I loved you?_

"Because I couldn't ignore the ethical consequences of what we were doing any longer. What's done is done. We could debate it all night, but the choices we made are set in stone. I've resolved to try and make better ones in the future."

_And so are you, although I don't think you realize that yet. _

"So the replicas are reproducing now." Saphir changed the subject. "Has anyone done research on the offspring?"

"Physically and genetically perfect. Indistinguishable from any other newborn. Except that by her existence she's thrown the court system into temporary chaos." Briefly he explained the situation between the replica-mother and the original's parents. "The mother wants the child. However, the original's parents are going to do everything they can to show her as unfit. Biologically it's their granddaughter, all they have left of their daughter. They're going to argue that someone who hasn't even had their first birthday has no business raising a child. Everyone's divided on this one. Either way someone's going to get hurt."

"What if you replicate the infant? Then they could each have one."

"Please tell me you're not serious."

"Of course I am. It's the perfect solution. Honestly, you and Pea-brain are always trying to make things so complicated."

Jade tried not to let his frustration show, but it took a considerable effort. For a few minutes the gulf of the years between them had vanished, and they'd gone back to those days as children, discussing and debating theories. Then, with one sentence, he was forcefully jolted back into the present. Of course Saphir wouldn't see any moral issues with replicating the baby. Hadn't he learned at the knee of his master?

"We are not replicating the child. That is not an option. They'll come to a decision or they'll learn to share her."

"Suit yourself." Saphir couldn't feign much interest in a child custody case. "Can we go into the city tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I believe I promised that as a future reward for good behavior. While you seem to have done an admirable job getting the house tidied up I'm not sure you've earned that kind of privilege yet."

"Then can you at least find me something decent to wear?" Saphir tugged at the gray linen shirt. "This is hideous. I look like I'm dead."

_You are dead. The sweet little boy I knew, the child I took such delight in corrupting, bending to my will. I murdered that child. But I swear by all that's holy that if I never do anything else, I'll earn the title of Necromancer. _

_I'm going to bring you back to life, Saphir. One way or another. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Dear Nephry:_

_I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed receiving your gift the other day. I do wish you could have found the time to deliver it in person, but I understand that you're extremely busy these days trying to keep the idiots, excuse me, citizens, of Keterburg from freezing to death. Congratulations on your pregnancy as well. I'm happy for you._

Pause.

_Jade seems pleased with the idea of becoming an uncle. I'm not certain how Peony feels about this happy news; I've mentioned it to him several times during his visits, and he always manages to change the subject. _

_In any case, I feel confident that you'll make a fine mother. You were always kind to me, and being that you are a little older than most women are to have their first, you'll have a maturity that they lack. Please give my regards to your husband as well. I'm sure he's pleased that the rumors of his sterility can finally be put to rest. _

_You inquired as to how I was doing in your brother's custody. As well as can be expected, I suppose. He's not quite as impossible to live with as I had feared, but he still delights in tormenting me and humiliating me. I try and stay out of his way, especially when Peony comes to visit (far too often, I might add). _

_Still, I suppose it is better than prison was. It's still a prison, mind you. There are days when I think that I shall go mad with boredom. Even after three months, Jade refuses still to allow me access to the equipment and tools I would need to feel truly useful again; he doesn't trust me. Well, I don't trust him either._

_He has kept his promise not to physically harm me, for which I am grateful. You know how easily I bruise. Still, when he takes it into his head to administer one of his "punishments", the details of which I will not go into, I would almost prefer a beating. _

_So please do not trouble yourself worrying about me, especially not in your delicate condition. Again, the clothing was beautiful. You have exquisite taste, unlike certain other members of your family. _

_Best Regards_

_Saphir _

He sealed the letter carefully into the envelope and addressed it, then tossed it into the pile of outgoing mail. If Jade wasn't going to let him leave the house, then he could take his own damn mail to the post office, and Saphir's as well for that matter.

For lack of anything else better to do, he roamed the house, eyes peeled for any signs of dirt or dust that had escaped him. Not for Jade, he had decided months ago. If he was going to be forced to dwell here, then he would not live in a rappig-sty, unlike certain emperors he could name.

The house was spotless, as usual. Jade would latch onto any excuse to punish him, and Saphir had become just as determined not to give him any. The light housework never took up much of his time, leaving him free to read or wander the grounds outside.

This was ridiculous. He wanted his tools. He'd done everything Jade had requested of him. He'd been a model servant, sickeningly obedient. What else could he do?

_That's not the real problem and you know it_, the little voice in his head nagged_. You'd gladly agree never to touch a tool again if he'd just treat you with a little affection. You're disgusting. Everything he's done to you, and you still mope around after him like a love-sick puppy._

Hating himself, but not able to do anything about it, Saphir opened the door to Jade's bedroom and slipped inside. He'd cleaned it this morning after Jade had left for the day, but the urge to go back again, without reason, was too much to resist.

The room was opulent. Jade kept the rest of his house utilitarian, but in this chamber he indulged himself in the pleasures a wealthy upbringing had given him a taste for. The oak bed was huge, with a thick blue velvet canopy and matching velvet drapes now pulled up and tied to the side. The sheets were pale blue satin, the bedspread a mixture of blue velvet, silk and satin plush. The heavy wooden furniture surrounding it was old and dark, containing the Colonel's clothing and worldly possessions. Unlike the rest of the house, there was carpeting here, the same color as the canopy and just as thick and plush. A fireplace almost big enough to sleep in faced the bed, so that if he wished Jade could drift off to sleep watching the flames. Even as a small boy, Jade had loved watching a fire. He said it helped him think.

Saphir ran his hands over the soft blanket, his imagination wondering what it would be like to sleep in this bed, a warm arm around him protecting him from the world, the steady thump of a heartbeat against his back, the glow of the flames red on his closed eyelids. He leaned forward and inhaled the scent of the sheets; laundry soap and body soap, and Jade's cologne. Underneath it all the heady, masculine scent he knew better than his own.

The sound of the front door closing startled him out of his fantasy, and he raced out of the room, barely getting the door shut behind him before Jade rounded the corner. He wasn't quite fast enough.

"What were you doing in my room, Saphir?" Jade's tone was light and lethal.

"I realized I'd forgotten to dust something this morning." Saphir tried to meet Jade's gaze.

"Oh? And you decided to rectify that with your bare hands? I thought you'd learned by now the penalty for lying to me."

"I was just looking at it." Saphir decided to try honesty, but not total honesty. "It's beautiful. It's different from the rest of the house. There's…color. Everything else around here is white and brown and gray. Sometimes I think I'll go mad if I don't see some color."

Jade's expression softened a little. "I'm afraid I couldn't stomach living in the kind of home you'd chose to decorate. I'd be the one to go mad. But you do have a point. It is a little drab. Tomorrow when we go into the city, I'll let you pick out some decorations or something. Nothing too exotic, but I suppose a little color wouldn't hurt."

He wasn't entirely sure he believed Saphir's excuse for being in Jade's chamber without permission. However, pushing what he believed to be the real reason would force a conversation that he didn't feel either one of them was ready to have.

_Show me a sign, Saphir. Show me a sign that it's working. Even a small one. _

"Jade, I want my experiments back. You promised." He couldn't keep the whine out of his voice. "I've done everything you asked me to."

"Not yet. And I told you, it's not my decision to make. One of Peony's stipulations in allowing your Bond was that he and he alone gets to decide when you are granted access to anything that could be considered dangerous. Perhaps before the end of the year if you continue to behave yourself."

"By the end of the year my brain will have turned to mush." He paused. "What if I show you that you can trust me?"

"How? By sneaking into my room behind my back to admire my drapery?"

"You never found my chamber in Ortion cavern." Saphir eyed him. "I know you looked."

"Granted, I didn't look very hard, but you're right. You hid it extremely well. What's your point, Saphir?"

"I'll give you directions on how to find it. All of my experiments are there, everything I was working on before my arrest. All my data. Some of it's complete."

"And in exchange?"

"I be granted some access to it. There are things I was working on that not even Pea-brain could consider dangerous. Useful things."

"Such as?"

"When your thugs arrested me, I was just days away from creating a perfect artificial womb, for one thing. I was going to use it for fomicry research, but it doesn't have to be. How long did Nephry try to conceive? She could have grown herself a dozen children, biological children, by now using my invention."

Jade considered for a moment. "You'll provide me with the directions. In exchange I'll speak with Peony, and persuade him to allow you limited access to experiments we don't deem dangerous. Supervised experiments, mind you. I won't have you blowing up my basement."

"Deal." He extended his hand and to his surprise Jade took it, the long, graceful fingers closing around his own briefly. Then he found himself being pulled forward, Jade's face only a breath away from his own.

"If you betray me in this, Saphir, if you make me regret our bargain, I promise you that no punishment you've received until now will even come close to what I'll do to you. You're being given a chance to earn my trust, and you'll only get one. Do you understand me?"

"Jade…you're hurting my hand." _Please, don't stop. Don't let go._

"It's Master, and do you understand me?"

"I understand. Master."

"Excellent. Now, I'm famished, and you standing here isn't solving that." He released the small, damp hand.

Only after Saphir had disappeared into the kitchen did Jade allow his composure to completely collapse. He leaned back against the wall, trying to control his breathing.

Maybe the kindest thing to do would be to pack Saphir up and sending him somewhere else. Not back to prison. Not to Nephry either. With a baby on the way her husband wouldn't be exactly receptive to a house-guest. But somewhere else, somewhere safe.

It would be so easy to give in. He'd used Saphir's love for him to manipulate him into the wrong path. It would be so damn easy to use that love to put him back on the right one.

_And then what? What if we have a fight? What if I die? What happens to him then, if the only reason he's gone right is out of love for me? This can't be because of me; I knew that from be the start. It has to be because he wants it for himself. Maybe I can give him some motivation, but if he's only doing what he's supposed to do because he wants to please me then it's not different than when we were children. He has to believe in what he's doing, not just do it. Just because I could drag him through that door right now without him putting him any fight at all doesn't mean I should. In fact, that's exactly the reason why I shouldn't. I won't take advantage of his feelings like that._

"Would Master care for potatoes or turnips with dinner?" Saphir called from the kitchen, and Jade chuckled. No matter how much he forced Saphir to use the title, he was never able to spit the word out without at least a little venom.

"Potatoes will be fine." He called back, his calm restored. "Try not to burn them this time."

A pan crashing was the only reply.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"_Because I hate it, that's why! I hate it! Everyone laughs at me and teases me about it! Why did you have to give me such a horrible name?"_

"_Sweetheart, I spent months trying to pick out the perfect name for you. I love your name. It's a beautiful name."_

"_It's a girl's name! You gave me a girl's name! I don't care what you say: when we move to Keterburg I'm telling everyone my name is something else. I don't want anyone to know what it really is. Then no one will laugh at me any more. I'll have lots of friends."_

"_What if we compromise?"_

"_Like?"_

"_What if we change your name just a little bit? Just enough so it sounds different."_

"_I guess that would work."_

"_What about… Saphir? We'll just take away a few letters. It's a name no one else will have, so no one will be able to say it's a girl's name."_

"_Okay… but don't you slip up and use my old name in front of anyone."_

"Saphir!"

Saphir jumped, startled out of his memories by Jade's insistent voice, and nearly falling off of the stone bench in the corner of the garden.

"I'm sorry. Master bellowed?" He asked crossly, folding his thin arms across his chest in annoyance. He'd overslept and missed cooking Jade's breakfast, and as a punishment Jade had forbidden him access to his lab. "Master" wasn't in his good graces at the moment.

"Yes, I bellowed. You have a visitor."

His head snapped around at the sound of giggling. High-pitched, child-like giggling.

"Is the Colonel picking on you again, Dist?"

"Anise." He rose to his feet, trying to keep the pleasure out of his voice as the girl, dressed today in a hot, shocking pink that nearly burned his eyes, came forward to greet him. He had a sudden, unexpected urge to grab her into a hug, but luckily managed to restrain himself.

"What are you doing here?" He asked instead. "Come to laugh at me?"

"Nah, I could laugh at you any time." She grinned. "I need your help. Jade said it was okay to come see you. No one else has been able to figure it out."

He was flattered. "What's the problem?"

She pulled the yellow doll off of her back and thrust it out to him. "Tokunaga's not working right any more."

"How so?"

"He still gets big and all, but he's…wobbly. It's like he wants to listen to me, but he can't. He staggers around like he's drunk sometimes."

"Show me." He was all business now. The doll was one of his greatest achievements; it wasn't allowed to malfunction. He noticed that Jade was standing near the fence watching them, and felt his annoyance with the other man grow. Did he honestly think Saphir was going to harm the child? Well, yes, in the past he had tried more than once, but that was all water under the bridge. Anise had clearly forgiven him for their…philosophical differences.

Obediently Anise grew the doll to its full size, crouched on Tokunaga's back like it was some kind of pony. Saphir went through a list of moves for her to attempt, watching how the doll moved and responded. After about 5 minutes, he indicated for her stop.

"And no one else has been able to figure out the problem?"

"Nope. You can fix him, right?"

"Of course. Next time bring him to me first. Clearly the people you showed him to are morons."

"So what's wrong with him?"

"With him? Nothing. The problem, Anise, is you."

"I beg your pardon?" Her eyes narrowed.

"You've gotten bigger. Taller. You've grown at least an inch since the last time I saw you. He simply needs to be recalibrated to your increased body mass. Luckily I foresaw this when I designed him and made him easily adjustable. I'll need to get my tools. Wait here."

He started for the house and then paused. "If Master will be so kind as to come unlock the door to my lab?"

Jade detached himself from the wall and followed Saphir into the house.

"I'm proud of you." Jade suddenly spoke up, his fingers moving quickly over the automatic lock on the basement door. It slid open before them.

"For what?"

"You have nothing to gain by adjusting the doll for Anise. Just as you had nothing to gain from making it for her to begin with. Who knew you had such a soft spot for children?"

"I do not!" His footsteps on the basement steps were heavy. "It was an experiment, that was all. And I'm not about to allow anyone to think the problems she's having with the doll indicate a design flaw! The doll is perfect. She simply had the misfortune to outgrow it."

"Of course. You giving it to her in the first place had nothing to do with the fact that she was willing to be your friend when no one else would give you the time of day. Saphir, there's no one here by the two of us. Why not just admit you like Anise and want her to be happy?"

"I detest children." He picked up the small bag containing his tools. "She was simply… not so bad."

"Guy's been asking about you too, you know. He practically drooled all over the floor when we took him into your lair in Ortion. He's got a whole laundry-list of things he wants to speak to you about."

"I suppose I could find the time to indulge him. If Master would permit?"

Jade only laughed.

Outside again, it only took Saphir a few moments to make the proper adjustments to the doll. "He'll probably need to be recalibrated at least one more time before you're fully grown. After that, unless you suddenly turn into a fat cow, you shouldn't have any more issues controlling him."

"I knew you'd figure it out. And I am NOT going to become a fat cow." She balled her hands on her as yet non-existent hips.

"Of course not. I was just simply stating that if you do, don't go blaming my doll for it."

Without any warning, she threw her arms around his waist. "Thank you for adjusting him for me. I knew you weren't so bad."

Aware that Jade was still watching them, he gingerly allowed himself to hug her back, ignoring the burst of warmth the small gesture gave him. When he had last hugged someone? How many years had it been?

"Can I come back and visit you?"

"I'm afraid that's not up to me. You'll have to ask him." He jerked his head in Jade's direction, and took advantage of the moment to untangle himself from the child's arms.

"Colonel, can I come back and play with your slave?" She giggled at Saphir's angry glare.

"Of course. As much as you like. As long as he promises to be a good boy and do all of his chores first."

"I'm not a child!" Saphir wasn't able to take the humiliation a moment longer. "And you don't need to embarrass me in front of my..." He stopped himself, the word "friends" catching on his tongue. Knowing that his face was bloody red, he stormed back into the house, slamming the door behind him.

"Poor Saphir. It'll be good for him to have you stop by now and then. He's not having an easy time with this."

Anise grinned. "So… he has to call you Master?"

"Mostly because it irritates him so much, and I need some amusement in life."

"It must be really nice. You have him locked up here, and he has to do whatever you tell him to." Her grin now had no place on the face of a child. "I bet it gets really, really _interesting_ around here when the sun goes down, huh?"

"Anise!"

"Oh come on, I'm not a kid. I know how things work. It's actually kind of romantic. I'd love it if the person I was madly in love with had to do everything I said."

"I am not madly in love with Saphir. And I can't imagine anyone you latched on to being courageous enough to disobey your commands. Now, don't you have something better to be doing today? Anything?"

"Oh, I know when I'm not wanted. But I'll be back." She headed for the far gate, and then turned around again. "If you won't give me all the juicy details, I bet Dist will."

Jade found Saphir in his favorite spot in the library, pretending to read. His eyes were slightly red, and he didn't acknowledge Jade's presence when the other man sat down next to him.

"I owe you an apology. You did a very nice thing today, and it was wrong of me to embarrass you the way I did. I don't apologize very often, so take it for what it's worth."

Saphir continued to stare at the book.

"When you came to live with me, you asked me why. Why would I choose to have you here? I believe there's good in you, buried deeply, but good. Anise has always believed that, even when you kept showing up to try and kill us. You were a good person once; you had one of the kindest, most sensitive hearts I'd ever seen. You were kind enough to offer your friendship to someone who didn't deserve it. I saw your kindness as a weakness, and I did my best to stomp it out of you. I don't know that I can ever repair the damage I did, but I couldn't live with myself a moment longer without at least trying."

"So that's all I am to you? Penance?" His voice was so low Jade had to strain to hear it.

"No." He took a deep breath, knowing that he had to force himself to speak the truth. "I was afraid of losing you. That's why I did it. I was afraid that sooner or later, your morals would cause you to find me repulsive, and that you would abandon me. The solution, and it seemed so simple at the time, was to remove those morals. If I could make you as unfeeling and as selfish as I was, I had a chance of keeping you."

"And then you gained moral fiber and found _me _repulsive. How ironic. You made me, and then you couldn't even stand to look at me. Well, I'm not interested in assuaging your guilt, _Master._"

"All you ever wanted, you told me once, was a peaceful life where you could work on your experiments and be left alone. You still had to be punished for your crimes: I won't take full responsibility for the things you've done. I thought perhaps if I could give you the kind of environment you'd be content in, as well as seeing to it that you did some penance of your own, perhaps some spark of the person you once were might come through. I saw that spark today."

"You saw what you wanted to see." Saphir's tone was bitter. "I'll ask you again. Just kill me and get it over with."

"I'll tell you again, I have no intention of killing you. Who would wash my socks?"

"Stop laughing at me! This isn't funny." No, he was not going to start crying again. He swore he'd never shed another tear over Jade. It was just the idiot's horrid cologne that was making his eyes start to water like this.

He tried to stand up, but Jade pulled him back down onto the sofa. The tears were coming faster now, and he struggled to get away, to run back to his room or his basement, but then Jade's arms were around him and his head was against the other man's shoulder, and he was broken. Completely and utterly broken.

He cried harder than he had ever cried in his life, even as a child in the safety of his mother's arms after the other children had been especially cruel. He cried for the child he had been in those days, for the man he'd become, and for Jade. Infuriating, impossible Jade, who wasn't laughing now, who was just holding him tightly and letting him sob into his silk shirt.

"It's okay, Saphir. Let it go."

"Sapphire."

"What?"

He didn't raise his head from Jade's shoulder. "My name is Sapphire. When we moved to Keterburg I forced my mother to change it because I hated it so much. I was teased unmercifully about it in my old village and I didn't want anyone to know. Then when I met you, I thought it was fate. Jade and Sapphire, the Crown Jewels of Keterburg. That's how I always thought of us."

"I know. I heard your mother call you that once. I never mentioned it because judging from your reaction to her it was a rather touchy subject."

"You never told anyone." The shirt was wet under his face and starting to get cold, but he didn't move.

"No. I never told anyone. I knew just as well as you did how cruel other children could be. Did you think it was any easier being called Jade? Fortunately, they learned quickly enough the dangers of teasing me. And of teasing you, I might add. They were never brave enough to do it in my presence."

"She protected me too."

"I know." He knew Saphir wasn't speaking about his mother now. "She loved you. We were the children she never had. You always made her smile."

"I just want it back like it was. The three of us. That was really all I ever wanted."

"I know that. It's an impossible dream. But if you really loved her, then don't shame her memory. Make her proud of you."

"I don't know how." It was a whisper.

"Well, to start with, why don't we go downstairs and see how the rats are developing? I'm sure she'd be very pleased with how much time and effort you've put into your womb project."

"I told you." He pulled his head from Jade's shoulder "We should use fetal rappigs instead. They're genetically more similar to humans. In fact, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

"If the rats develop normally we'll move onto that, but the person I believe you just insulted was rather adamant that we save the pigs for when we know that the womb is functioning correctly."

_I had a dream that Nephry's baby was in trouble and she was going to lose it. I suggested that we transfer it over into the artificial womb, and we did. In the dream it was a boy, and he was okay afterward; strong and happy and he looked just like his mother. Just like you. You were so happy with me for saving your nephew's life. I wanted to tell you about it, the dream, but I thought you'd be angry with me, would think that I wished for something to go wrong with the baby just so I could play hero. _

"Perhaps…" Saphir paused. "Guy might like to come see what we've accomplished so far?"

"I think that can be arranged."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

There was a sameness to the days, but not an unpleasant one.

He woke up in the morning and had breakfast with Jade, who then usually left for the day. Afterward he attended to the housework matters, and then was free to do as he liked.

Jade no longer locked the door to the lab when he left; this tacit admission of trust warmed Saphir, and he was careful not to do anything to lose the privilege. Since the day of Anise's first visit, there had been no more punishments.

His work engrossed him, and often it wasn't until he heard Jade calling for him that he realized how much of the day had passed, and that he'd often forgotten to even eat anything. Jade would scold him about that if he found out about that part.

After dinner, Jade would usually join him in the lab or in the library, and they would talk, the way they'd talked as children. Not that they always agreed; sometimes those discussions ended with one of both of them stomping away in a fury, but even those times Saphir treasured now.

Anise had kept her promise to visit again, and Guy probably would have moved in with them if they'd allowed it. Saphir had grudgingly permitted the young man to assist him, and had been secretly impressed by his aptitude for fontech. Interest, after all, didn't necessarily equal ability. However, he was of the opinion that if Guy's life on Hod hadn't been so tragically interrupted, the boy could be a well-respected member of the scientific community by now. That gave him an odd feeling, one he couldn't quite explain. It wasn't guilt: he'd had nothing to do with what had befallen Hod. But thinking too long about it made him uncomfortable.

Still, it wasn't so bad having an apprentice, he supposed. It was lonely around the house with Jade gone so much of the time, and Guy gave him something to talk to, someone that could in time be almost an equal.

Anise's visits were a little different. The girl had taken an almost unholy interest in his relationship with Jade and was constantly peppering him with extremely personal questions in that regard. He really couldn't think of any valid reason for her to know what kind of underwear the Colonel preferred, not unless she was planning on giving him a highly inappropriate birthday present.

Not that there was really any relationship to talk about. They were, he hoped, friends again. At least not enemies any longer. However, except for that moment several months earlier when he allowed Saphir to cry in his arms, Jade hadn't touched him. It was irritating.

At least Jade wasn't bringing in anyone else to cater to his more basic needs. What he did when he wasn't home Saphir wasn't sure (he always inspected the laundry carefully), but the only visitor that he ever entertained was Peony. He was reasonably sure that there was nothing untoward going on between the two of them (although Anise, who had for some bizarre reason taken to seeing the potential for romance whenever she spied two men talking together, was of the opinion that Peony should pursue a relationship with Guy.) For his part, Saphir didn't care if Peony proposed to one of his beloved rappigs, just as long he kept his hands off of Jade.

Still, it wasn't really the best time to pester Jade about something like this. He had his hands full with the current political situation in Grand Chokmah. These days he usually came home late and dead on his feet.

Emboldened by the court's decision to allow the replica Jane to retain custody of her newborn daughter, the other replicas had split into two vocal, but very different groups.

The first group, the largest, no one was especially worried about. Their main priority was to be treated the same as anyone else, and recognized as separate, individual people. As Peony agreed with them on that fully, there wasn't really anything for them to protest or become a nuisance about.

The second group, although smaller, was the one that was giving Jade a headache. Rather than trying to separate themselves from their originals, they seemed adament on taking the late original's lives. They had petitioned the court for access to bank funds, inheritance rights, and the right to live with the families of the originals. In several cases, they'd even petitioned for custody of the original's children. While there were families that, in their grief, embraced the replicas as a second chance with their lost loved-ones, the vast majority of them saw the copies as a living mockery and wanted them as far away as possible.

So far Peony had denied their petitions. All of them. It was all he could do: to give them what they were asking for would have been to go against his previous mandates that they were to be treated as individuals in their own right. These "individuals" were taking his decisions poorly, and by their bad behavior causing difficulties for the replicas that were following the law. Several had been arrested, and after that the rest had gone underground. There was a rumor that a few were holed up on Nam Cobanda Island, but of course there wasn't much help from that department in tracking the worst of the trouble-makers down.

Saphir could, to his own surprise, sympathize with the feelings of both replica groups. Although his mother had never told him the identity of his father, he had been bright enough to deduce it an an early age; his vague memories of the first home he'd lived in included the master of the house, who bore an unmistakable resemblance to himself. He'd grown up in the knowledge that somewhere he had a blood family: a father, siblings, and that they were forever off-limits to him. The replicas had no one, not even the kind mother Saphir had been blessed with, and the need for family, to be part of something, could be overwhelming at times.

"_You're not sending him away." It would still be a few years before the voice changed but it was deep on that day, and calmly chilling. "You're not sending him anywhere."_

"_Jade, it's for the best. His mother is gone. He's only 11; he's not old enough to live on his own. The children's home…"_

"_No. I said he's not going anywhere." Jade had moved to stand next to the frightened younger child, and his hand was warm around Saphir's. Encouraged by her brother's defiance, Nephry moved to take Saphir's other hand. "No, Mother, don't make Saphir leave. Please let him stay."_

"_He needs a family."_

"_He has a family. He has me and he has the professor, and he has Nephry." Jade gave his sister a look that one anyone else would be described as gratitude. "He can live here and we'll take care of him. But if you try and send him away, I shall be very angry. Mother, I'm sure you don't want me to be angry."_

_A flash of fear in her eyes as she glanced at her husband. Jade didn't use their fear against them often. He didn't have to._

"_Well… he does worker than any help we've ever had. Saphir, do you want to go to the children's home in Grand Chokmah or would you like to stay here as Jade's servant?"_

"_I'd like to stay with Jade, Ma'am. And Nephry." He couldn't forget the little girl who'd defended him as well._

"_Well, I suppose we could try it for a while."_

"What would you have done to them?" Saphir asked now, glancing over at Jade, who was busy examining some of Saphir's womb data and taking notes now and then.

"Done to whom?"

"Your parents, if they'd sent me away to the orphanage."

"What brought that on?"

"I was just wondering. Were you bluffing?"

"No, you know I never bluff. And so did they. Had they sent you away, I would have become the biggest dunce in Keterburg. They never would have gotten another equation or therom out of me. That was one option. The other was to take you and my sister and leave on our own. But it wouldn't have come to that: the professor would have taken you into her own home before she let you go to strangers. I was simply asserting my property rights before she had a chance."

_I should have let you go. You would have been adopted immediately once they found out who you were. Families would have been scrambling for the privelge of having one of the Keterburg geninuses as their own. Heaven knows the Curtiss family snapped me up quickly enough after my parents died. Maybe things would have been different if you'd had a chance escape from my influence._

They continued to work in silence for a few more minutes, and Saphir lifted the curtain on the tank, watching the half-developed rappig kick its tiny legs in the nutrient solution. It wouldn't have a mother, not one that recognized it anyway. Once it was free of the tank, it would require human effort to keep it alive, to keep it warm and feed it. Luckily, the little pig wasn't going to have to worry about that. Peony was borderline obsessed with "Perry" (the name of a boy they'd gone to school with for a short time) and was requesting daily reports of his progress. He was fully committed to becoming Perry's full-time caregiver once the rappig was 'born'.

"Do you ever wish you had children?" Came the next unexpected question.

"Of course not." Jade was amused. "You know I'm not fond of children. I have my hands full with one little tyrant. What in the world would I do with another one? However, I suppose if the paternal longings ever get too great I can borrow Nephry's for a while. A few days of picking up toys and cleaning fingerprints off of the wall should cure me sufficiently. Well, watching you do that, in any case. Why are you asking me these things?"

"I was just curious what you think has a bigger influence on a child, genes or enviroment?" He pointedly ignored the "tyrant" comment.

"A little of both. Some of the replicas we've found to be very similar to their originals. Some are like night and day. Look at Luke and Asch. Perfect isofones and as different as they could possibly be. But also raised as differently as possible. Even naturally born identical twins are usually very different."

"I wonder if my siblings are anything like me."

"No."

Saphir looked at him in surprise. "I've met your siblings. And your… I hesitate to use the word father… your donor. I happened to be in your old village on business once, and did some research once I happened to get a glimpse of Lord Albert. Your mother worked for him until you were three. I'm only telling you this because it's something you had to have already known."

"Of course I knew. What are they like?" He couldn't keep the pang out of his voice.

"You've never bothered to find out on your own?"

"No. I never had the… interest."

_Courage._

"Your father is typical for someone who has been born into great wealth and been given entirely too much free time. He hunts, and collects expensive, useless things to fill up his home. His only interest is in his immediate surroundings and his own comfort. Your sister is a great deal like him. She married young, and sends her children to the finest schools, and spends her days shopping and from what I can tell insulting the hired help. Your brother is the best of the lot; he's as dumb as a post but has enjoyed a good career in the military, and is well liked. Neither of your siblings look a thing like you."

"I don't suppose they know about me."

"That I'm not sure. They were a good deal older than you: surely at least one of them eventually figured it out. However, it's not likely that they would associate the child they called Sapphire with the God-General Dist. Do you want to meet your brother? It could be easily arranged."

"No, I was just curious about them, that's all."

_Why ruin his life? He sounds happy enough in his ignorance._

Without warning, Jade moved to stand behind him, and stared at the baby rappig over his shoulder. "It's a powerful thing, isn't it? The need for family? No matter how intelligent we are or how much we fight against it, it's always there. We can't escape from being human."

"It would definitely make things a lot easier." Saphir agreed, fighting the urge to lean back against Jade. It became moot a moment later when he felt Jade's body move against his, and his arm go around Saphir's waist.

"I can't give you your mother back, or the professor, or your dunce of a father. But I promised you once all those years ago, and Nephry promised you, that's we'd be your family if you wanted us to. Did I tell you that she's already referring to you as her baby's uncle? You were her big brother as much as I was, even more so at times. You have family, you little idiot. Don't go feeling sorry for yourself; there are plenty of people who don't."

He wished the moment could last forever, just the two of them watching the rappig, the whooshing and hissing of the artifical womb in their ears, and Jade's arm warm and reassuring. Then Jade sighed.

"I'm sorry. I've got to get to work. Peony's expecting me."

"I know, go. Guy's coming by this afternoon, anyway." He pulled out of Jade's embrace reluctantly. "Will you be home tonight?"

"Later. We received a message from the head of the replica splinter group requesting a meeting, offering his own surrender in exchange for amnesty for the other group members. I wish I could say it will be resolved quickly, but I'm not feeling overly optimistic. To begin with, he can bloody well tell me what they've done with the Albiore IV." The prototype plane, smaller and lighter than the original, had vanished from Sheridan two days earlier. While the replicas hadn't exactly claimed responsibility, Jade had no doubts who had gotten their hands on it.

He was almost up the basement steps when he paused and glanced back down at his servant. "You would have been bored beyond tears with your other family. Not a pair of brain cells to rub together between them. You're much better off with us."

_With me._

"You'll have a decent enough life, I suppose." Saphir chatted with the rappig once Jade had gone. "Spoiled rotten, allowed to sleep in the emporer's bed. I hope you don't mind the smell; the other rappigs don't seem to, but you're being bred in better surroundings, Perry. If it gets too ghastly for you, you can always come back home."

Home. He was home here, more than he had ever been anywhere since his boyhood. It was the life he'd always dreamed of, and it was almost perfect.

_Jade, I believe that you loved me too in those days. Even if you couldn't say it, I know you did. Can you find that again? Do you even want to? Once you've "reformed" me, what happens to me then? Will you just go on to the next experiment? When you've stopped feeling so guilty over my choices, choices that you influenced but I made, will you just stop…thinking so damn much and fall in love with me again?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Guy! Hey Guy, wait up!"

Guy stopped on the path, and smiled to see the girl racing toward him. Hard to believe not long ago the sight would have terrified him, he mused. Now he only felt the pleasure in seeing an old and trusted friend.

"Hey, Anise. How have you been?"

"Busy. You wouldn't believe how impossible Florian is getting these days. He'd decided he's in love with me. Can you imagine?" She shook her head. "Anyway, I needed a break from Daath in general. Where are you going?"

"To visit Saphir. You?"

"That's where I'm going. He's so lonely when the Colonel's gone, I thought I could go cheer him up. You're helping him with his experiments, right?"

"Right. He's not exactly the most patient teacher I've ever had, but he sure knows more than any of them."

"Have you seen the little rappig? It's _so_ cute. He's going to make one for me next, a girl one."

They fell into easy step next to each other, chatting about the recent events in their lives. There was a maturity about the girl that was new, he noticed. She was still Anise, but she talked less and listened more, and he was impressed. She had never viewed herself as a child, and certainly they'd never had the luxury of treating her like one, but Anise was growing up anyway. For some reason, that felt almost bitter-sweet.

"So do you think they're doing it yet?"

Guy sputtered. Yes, definitely still Anise. "I'm sorry?"

"Saphir and the Colonel, of course. Do you think they've fallen in love again? Well, Saphir's already in love. So is the Colonel, but he's being stubborn about it, I'll bet."

"Anise, I really don't spend my time wondering about things like that." They turned down the side street where Jade's cottage sat. "It's none of my business."

"Of course it is. They're our friends, it's our business to make sure they're happy. What is THAT?"

Guy squinted. "Why is there a plane over Jade's house? It looks like the Al… hey, it's the Albiore IV. Jade found it."

In the distance, they could see the plane hovering over the little cottage, and movement on the ground. Two figures were pulling on a third one, who was struggling in their grasp. When they reached the edge of the property line, the third figure suddenly went limp in their arms.

"Hey! Those bastards have Saphir!" Anise bolted down the street, with Guy hot on her heels. "Hey! You let him go!" Her voice was lost in the roar of the engines. "You give him back!"

But before they could reach the gate, the two men had vanished into the interior of the plane with their captive in tow, and Anise and Guy could only watch helplessly as the Albiore IV took off for parts unknown.

*****************************

"A waste of time, Your Majesty. They're obviously not going to show."

"You're right. Either they felt like messing with us, or chickened out at the last minute. Either way, I'm not spending my entire day waiting around for them." Peony stood up and rotated his neck. "I've got better things to do. Like go to your house and watch Perry."

"Perry is doing what he's done every day. Which is absolutely nothing."

"He smiled at me last time."

"Oh, he did not. Rappigs do not smile."

"They do too! Jade smiles at me all the time."

Jade grimaced at the thought. "Fine, have it your own way. But do be careful this time. Saphir spend the rest of the evening in a huff after you knocked his table over."

"I said I was sorry. So how are things going on that end?"

"Very well. That's not just my opinion: Guy and Anise agree with me. Dist the Reaper, not sadly to say, appears to be dead and buried. We're left with Saphir, who is growing into a charming person in spite of his best wishes. I'm thinking about taking him to Keterburg with me in a few months for a short visit. With your permission, of course." He didn't mention "after Nephry's child is born."

A commotion outside of the throne room caught both of their attention, and a moment later Guy and Anise streaked inside, both gasping for air and covered with sweat.

"They took him! Colonel, they took him!" Anise grabbed Jade around the waist. "We couldn't stop them. I'm sorry."

"What? Anise, you're not making sense. Who took whom?"

"Don't…know…" Guy's head was down low as he panted. "The Albiore IV was at your house. We could…see some guys…they were dragging Saphir. When they got him to the gate he just…passed out. They put him on the plane and took off."

"The security system." Peony groaned. "It knocked him out cold. It has to be the replicas. This entire meeting was set-up to get Jade out of the way."

"Which way did they head?" Jade's voice was colder than any of them had ever heard it.

"West. They went west."

"Your Majesty, I'll need the Albiore II." Jade was already heading for the door.

"Jade, Jade wait." Peony ran after him. "What if Saphir was in on this?"

"What did you say?" Anise was furious. "Of course he wasn't in on his own kidnapping!"

"What if this was all just an escape attempt on his part? I know you trust him…"

Jade shook his head, his step never breaking. "I do trust him. He finally has the life he wants, or almost the life he wants, and he'd never do anything to jeopardize that."

"He's right." Guy was finally able to speak clearly again. "Saphir is happy with Jade. I'm going too."

"Me too." Anise had to move faster on account of her shorter legs. "He's our friend too, Jade. You don't get to play hero alone."

"Hell, count me in." Peony shrugged. "If the three smartest people I know believe he's worth it, who am I to argue? Besides, we need him to finish Perry."

_Stay strong, Saphir. We're coming for you._

_Your family is on the way._

_******************************_

_He owes us! He owes us and so do you! If it wasn't for the two of you none of us would be in this mess. You're our parents, and you abandoned us. Well, you're not going to be able to ignore us any more. This time he'll have to listen._

Saphir's entirely body still tingled from the jolt the security system had given him. He had often wondered if the damn thing really existed, or if it was just something Jade had invented to keep him on the property. He'd never cared enough to test it and find out.

If he ever saw Jade again, he could assure him that it was functioning correctly.

The room they'd put him in wasn't much bigger than a closet. Not even a blanket on the floor to lie on. Stupid, he'd been so stupid.

He'd assumed that the knock at the door had been Guy, and had been surprised to see the two strange men on the doorstep. Surprised but not alarmed. They'd been polite, pretending to look for Jade, and then he'd spotted the Albiore IV and the first warning bells had gone off in his head.

When they grabbed him, he'd fought harder than he'd ever fought in his life, although it hadn't done him much good. Then when they reached the perimeter, everything had gone extremely painful and extremely black.

_Jade, I didn't run away. Please believe me. I didn't try to escape. _

*****************************

"Jade, you need to sleep. You're dead in your seat."

"I'll sleep after we find him." Jade glanced out the window of the Albiore II at the water below.

"Jade, we're getting a message from Malkuth." Guy adjusted the dials on the dashboard of the plane.

"Colonel, the replica splinter group had sent us a list of their demands." The woman's voice was crisp and clear.

"Which are, as if we don't already know?"

"That each replica be given identical rights to his or her original. That the Emperor signs this into law tomorrow afternoon. Whatever property the original had goes to the replica. Parental rights to the children of the original's. And… Colonel Curtiss surrenders himself to the replicas for judgment for his crimes against them. If you refuse, the letter states that you'll find bits and pieces of Dr. Neis scattered around Auldrant."

"Jade…" Anise touched his arm. "You can't…"

"I know." Jade shook his head. "Your Majesty…"

"The demands will not be met." Peony forced the words out. "None of the demands will be met. Make that known publicly."

"We'll find him before then, Jade." Guy was certain. "We won't let them hurt him."

_Saphir, forgive me. _

*******************************

"Let the trial begin."

Saphir stepped forward, pulling himself up to his full height.

"Dr. Saphir Wyon Neis, you are charged with crimes against humanity, for willingly and knowingly experimenting on human beings, for creating replicas of such human beings, and for conspiring with Colonel Jade Curtiss, formerly known as Dr. Jade Balfour, to deny equal and human rights to your creations. How do you plead?" The replica bore a slight resemblance to Emperor Peony. He was young, blond, and incredibly handsome, but Saphir couldn't really take the time to admire him on account of the entire kidnapping thing.

"If it wasn't for us you wouldn't even exist, you feather-head!" Saphir snapped. "This is how you say thank you?"

"We shouldn't exist! Our lives are a misery, thanks to the two of you playing God. Let the record note that the prisoner has pleaded guilty and admitted to his crimes." The replica glared at Saphir in fury. "What kind of a father turns his back on his own children?"

"I am not your damn father!"

"You're the closet thing we have. You won't run away from us any more. You'll pay for what you've done, and so will he. He has until tomorrow to show some responsibility. Otherwise, we're all more than willing to become orphans."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The walls of the cavern were oozing around him. Jade had always hated this place; a child raised in the open wilds of Keterburg couldn't possibly be comfortable in a place like this. He had always wondered how Saphir stood it for so long, why he had chosen this hole above others to make his own. Ortion Cavern, or to be more accurate "Dist" Ortion cavern. Once he had his little servant safely back in his care, he would have to remember to scold him for such a bad joke. God, what a miserable place.

It was, however, the perfect spot for the rebel replicas to have holed up in. Out of the way and hidden, and yet close enough to citizens of Nam Cobanda that they could claim aid or supplies from them if need be. The signature trail of the Albiore IV had been extremely faint, but enough to tell that it had definitely been brought here.

The last time he had been here was to ferret out Saphir's old quarters, with the help of the detailed map the man had drawn for him. He and Guy and a parcel of guards (the same four who silently walked behind him now) had spent the better part of two days clearing out all of the experiments, equipment, and machinery from Saphir's home.

_As they were almost finished, his eyes had noticed a rock in the wall a slightly different color than the rest. He'd knelt down and removed it, chuckling to himself about Saphir and his blatantly obvious hiding places, and pulled out the huge box inside._

_At first he was confused. Books and…a child's toys? Something nagged the back of his mind about them. Oh, no wonder they looked familiar. He'd purchased these items himself years ago as gifts for his servant. Just little things, junk really, but it had made Saphir so happy to receive them, especially after his mother had died. _

_The box was now in Jade's closet, hidden under a pile of blankets. He knew sooner or later he'd give it back to Saphir, but for the moment he liked having it there and he couldn't really explain why. Perhaps because it was an indication that even in the worst of his anger, Saphir had still treasured Jade's gifts enough to keep them, and keep them safe._

"I told him I'd keep him safe." Jade spoke to no one, but Peony, Anise, and Guy all glanced at him anyway. "I promised him."

This much emotion from Jade was disturbing, Anise thought, hurrying along after them. He sounded so sad, and Jade never sounded sad. He was always smiling about everything, even when there was nothing to really smile about. The mask was gone, at least for now. It was so romantic she thought she was going to start crying. Poor Jade, so afraid that he was going to lose the person he loved once he'd finally gotten him back. Well, not if she and Tokunaga had anything to say about it.

Peony, to her annoyance, seemed to be viewing this entire thing as a fun outing. He had every confidence in the world that this would all be quickly resolved and of course Saphir would be fine. Guy was at least looking worried, and not saying much. She had hoped that Peony would offer him a little comfort, but thought it was probably not a good time to suggest it.

"Quiet." Jade hissed, and jerked his head forward. "Someone's coming."

They slipped against the wet wall of the cavern as a young woman with honey-colored hair rounded the corner. Jade moved quicker than the eye could see, and suddenly the woman found herself against the wall as well, the point of Jade's spear at her throat.

"You will take us to where you're keeping Dr. Neis. In exchange I won't impale you. Do you accept the terms of our bargain?"

The woman was pale, and trembled slightly. "I…they'll kill me if I do."

"I'll kill you if you don't."

"Jade, ease up. You're scaring the pretty lady." Peony moved forward and gave the replica a winning smile. "No one is mad at you, honey. You probably just got sucked into this. There's no reason you should have to get hurt for something that isn't your fault. I'm Peony. What's your name?"

"Sa…Sarah." In spite of the spear at her neck, she was blushing.

"Sarah. That's a very nice name. Come on Jade, put the spear away. Sarah's going to take us to where the others are, and then we're going to get her out of this smelly cave and into the sunlight where she belongs. Right, Sarah?"

"Alright, I'll show you, but don't let them hurt me. They forced me to go along." She was speaking quickly. "I didn't want to help at all but they said they'd hurt me if I didn't."

"Lead the way, Sarah." Peony was still smiling at her. "We'll make sure no one hurts you."

The replica led them down a maze of twists and turns, and finally stopped before a large door. She placed her hand against the identification screen, and it slid open. Jade pushed ahead of her into the room. The empty room.

"Jade, look out!" Anise screamed.

Jade managed to duck and roll out of the way as Sarah lunged at him, a tiny dagger in hand. The woman hit the floor, and he stomped on her fingers, causing her to scream and release the knife.

"Oh Sarah." Peony sighed, sounding heart-broken. "Why'd you have to go and do a dumb thing like that, huh?"

"I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! You're pigs! You're worse than pigs!" Sarah was now struggling as the guards held her back.

"Oh, now that's really uncalled for. What have pigs ever done to you?" Peony was offended.

"Go ahead and kill me. You'll never find them."

"Lock her in here. We'll try this way next. It can't be too far if they're coding the doors this far down." Jade voice was echoing in the cavern tunnel. "But be careful. Be ready for anything."

************************************

He was going to die. He wasn't sure how yet they intended on killing him, but he knew that he was going to die.

He'd almost died before, many times, and before each of those things he'd only felt a small sense of regret. Life was bleak, and death would at least reunite him with the professor and with his mother. That would have been enough.

This time…this time he wanted to live. He wanted to go back to the small house, to his books and his lab, and to Jade. He would happily live the rest of his life as Jade's servant as long as there was a rest of his life.

He'd tried reasoning with the replicas, but they were beyond reason. So unhappy with their own existence, they felt they had no other choice but to absorb the lives of their unwilling genetic hosts.

Finally, after all these years, he understood. He understand exactly why Jade had broken their promise to Professor Nebilim, and broken his promise to Saphir. It was because it had been an impossible promise to keep. They could have created a thousand replicas, a hundred thousand, and it still wouldn't have brought her back. Each one would have been as unique as a fingerprint. Maybe some would have been as intelligent, or had her love of strawberries, of her habit of chewing on the end of her hair when she was deep in thought, but none would have been her. Not any more than these misguided replicas could ever take the place of their doomed originals.

He paced around the small room, his thoughts racing, cursing himself for his stupidity, for being blinded for so long by love and loss, for allowing all of those wasted years to slip through his hands. It was like waking up for a long dream. He had tried to share some of this epiphany with his captures, but it was beyond them. They were just as caught up in their hatred as he had been, and just as blind to reason.

The door opened again, and the blond replica, whom he had heard being referred to as Byron, grabbed him roughly by the upper arm and jerked him out into the main area of the cavern they'd claimed. "Change of plans. Looks like your friend has managed to track us down. Might as well leave him something nice to remember us by." He reached into his belt and pulled out a wicked looking dagger. "Wish I could say it's been a pleasure. Think of me when you're rotting in hell."

"I'll save you a seat." It wasn't a very intelligent come-back, but this fool wasn't worth wasting a good one on. Maybe this was what Jade had meant all along by penance. Maybe this was just fate. He stared into Byron's eyes and tilted his neck back, exposing the pulsating vein. Byron's forearm fastened around his throat and the blade moved against it.

"Excuse me, but didn't ever tell you that it wasn't nice to steal someone else's things? If you damage my favorite toy, I won't be happy with you."

Without even realizing what he was doing, Saphir thrust back with one bony elbow, and Byron doubled over with a gasp, and then the room exploded into chaos. He could see flashes of color, and the guards fighting replicas, and for a moment he caught a glimpse of Jade in the back, chanting. Then something else caught his attention.

Byron had staggered to his feet, and was advancing on Anise, who had just finished pummeling a replica that appeared no older than herself. Intent on administering her own brand of justice, she didn't notice the man raise the knife high and throw it in her direction.

"No!" Saphir lunged between them, and the blade of the dagger hit against his shoulder and sank deep.

It didn't hurt, he thought, somewhat dazed. How odd. Something like that should definitely hurt. He could see Anise now speaking to him, but her voice was lost in the noise of the fighting. Suddenly, he desperately needed to sit down for a minute.

Then someone was supporting him, his head against a warm shoulder, and he was staring up into a pair of frightened eyes, eyes that had never shown fear as long as he remembered.

"I didn't…run away…" It was important, vitally important that Jade understood that. "I didn't…leave."

"I know." Jade's voice was gentle. "Shh, I know you didn't run away. Come on, we need to get you to a doctor." There was a searing pain as the blade was pulled loose, and then Jade was pressing a cloth against the hole to stop the bleeding.

That was good. Jade wasn't upset. He looked around, dimly seeing that the guards had finished rounding up the replicas, and that Guy, Anise, and Peony where on the floor with him, next to Jade, all looking just as worried. Well, of course they were worried. Weren't families supposed to worry about each other?

Then Jade was picking him up, and he knew that it was okay to sleep for a while, because Jade would take care of him, would take care of everything.

"He gets kidnapped, electrocuted, and stabbed, and his biggest worry is that you were going to be mad at him." Peony shook his head as they turned to make their way back outside.

"Of course. He's learned the dangers of making me angry." Jade glanced down at the limp figure in his arms, an almost tender look on his face. Against his chest, Saphir muttered something.

"What did he say?" Guy questioned.

"Oh, nothing. He's just delirious. The sooner we get him out of here the better."

"That wasn't nothing!" Anise was delighted. "He just said he loves you! That's so sweet. Tell him that you love him too, Colonel."

"I will do no such thing."

_Not in front of an audience, anyway. Come on, Saphir. Let's go home._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_The two boys hurried down the long hallway. The taller, older of the two, had the sure footsteps of someone who was exactly where he belonged. The smaller boy, whom he was dragging along by the hand, looked ready to vomit._

"_Come on, Saphir. We're going to be late."_

"_Jade, this is a bad idea. Let's just go home."_

"_We're not going anywhere until you speak to the professor, you ninny. She's waiting for us."_

_Unable to escape (Jade had a death-grip on him) Saphir tried to calm his turning stomach. Jade knocked on a huge, wooden door, and then without waiting for an answer shoved it open and marched inside, his terrified pet in tow._

_Beautiful._

_The woman who stood up to greet them was the most beautiful woman Saphir had ever seen. She looked like an angel, a goddess, and rather than easing his fear, it heightened it. He was conscious that even in Jade's old clothing he looked shabby and poor. Surely this woman would be angry at him for coming into her parlor and disturbing her evening. _

"_Jade, shame on you! What have you been telling him about me? He's scared to death." The woman knelt down in front of him, and sweet perfume met his nose. "It's okay, Saphir. Don't be afraid. My name is Professor Nebilim. Jade's been telling me all about you. I've been waiting to meet you."_

_Saphir forced himself to offer her a hand. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am."_

"_Jade, why don't you excuse us for a few minutes, and allow Saphir and I to talk in private?"_

_Saphir gave Jade a worried look, wondering how Jade would react to being told what to do. To his surprise, Jade nodded to the professor and obediently left the room. Saphir was torn between wanting to run after him, and between wanting to find out more about someone who could actually earn Jade's respect._

"_Would you like some hot cocoa, Saphir? I would have offered some to Jade, but he doesn't like it. Can you imagine not liking chocolate?" She shook her head in wonder. "Silly boy. He's incredibly gifted, but just between the two of us he's not always as smart as he thinks he is._

_Saphir swallowed a grin, chiding himself for being so disloyal to Jade as to be amused by the comment. "Yes, Ma'am. Cocoa would be fine."_

_She busied herself for a few moments, and then sat two cups down on a table near the fire, motioning for Saphir to take the far chair._

"_Jade seems to think that when the new school term starts, you should go here, not to the regular village school. He was very adamant about it." _

"_I think he's wrong, Ma'am." He lowered his head. "About this, anyway."_

"_Oh?"_

"_My mother is his maid, Ma'am. We can't afford for me to go to school here. We moved to Keterburg because my mother thought it would be good for me to live near the children who did."_

"_Saphir, do you really think everyone who goes here is wealthy? Some are, and some students are here because they belong here. Even if Jade didn't have a coin to his name, this would still be the school he attended. We have scholarships for students that deserve them."_

_Saphir thought of the classrooms they passed, the expensive furniture, the general feel of privilege in the air. Why would they ever want him?_

"_I'm going to ask you a few questions." Professor Nebilim reached for a thick, well-read book. "Don't be afraid to tell me if you don't know the answer, or don't understand what I'm asking."_

_Saphir sipped his cocoa, and nodded solemnly._

_Finally, after what seemed like forever, she closed the book. "My, my, it seems that Jade wasn't exaggerating."_

"_Did I do alright, Ma'am?"_

"_You did better than alright. You knew the answers to questions Jade missed, and he was older than you when I gave him that test." She gave him a brilliant smile that he returned. "Saphir, you are attending this school if I have to nail you to the floor. If I let you slip through my fingers I'd never forgive myself."_

"_But…"_

"_I determine who gets the scholarships, and I've decided that it's you."_

"_May I go tell Jade?" He was so excited he could barely sit still._

"_In a moment. Before you do, I think I'll tell you a secret."_

_The boy leaned forward and she lowered her voice. "Have you ever heard the expression 'It's lonely at the top'?"_

"_Yes, Ma'am. My mother tells me that sometimes."_

"_Well, Jade has always been the smartest by far of all of his classmates. He's been at the top for a very long time." She waited for Saphir to pick up what she was implying._

"_Jade is lonely, Ma'am?"_

"_Professor. You're one of my students now, Saphir. Yes, I think Jade is very lonely. Not that he'd ever admit that, but he's never had a friend near his own age that he could speak to as an equal. You know that the other children are afraid of him, right?"_

"_Yes, Ma'am. Professor. He thinks it's funny."_

"_Yes, I know he does. I think you're exactly the kind of friend Jade needs in his life. You may be younger, but I think there's a lot our mutual friend could learn from you. Will you do your best to teach him?"_

"_Yes, Professor." He wasn't sure what he was supposed to teach Jade, but he would have agreed to anything to make this beautiful goddess happy. "I promise."_

"_Good." She stood up and offered him her hand, and he took it after a moment of hesitation. "Let's go tell your mother your good news."_

_Jade was lounging in the hallway, trying hard not to look like he'd been waiting for them the entire time._

"_Jade! I got in! I'm going to school here!"_

"_Of course you did." Jade shrugged. "Stop being so silly; I told you that the professor would want you."_

_To Saphir's shock, Professor Nebilim reached over and gave Jade a light tap on the head. "You be respectful to your classmate, young man."_

"_Yes, Professor." _

_The three of them walked out of the school together, and through the dark, snowy night. Saphir, unable to help himself, spun around in glee trying to catch flakes on his tongue. Professor Nebilim laughed, and the sound was like church bells to Saphir's ears. Jade was trying to look disgusted, but his lips were twitching as he watched the younger boy dance in the snow. In his entire life, Saphir couldn't remember a more perfect day, or ever being so happy._

_Don't let it end, he thought. Please, don't ever let this ever end._

He awoke to both pain and warmth, and tried to clear his head enough to remember where he was and what had happened.

Pain. His shoulder hurt, but not as bad as it should. Warmth. He was in a bed, a soft sheet under his back, a thick blanket on top of him. Something heavy across his waist, pinning him down onto the bed. Hot breath against the side of his head, a familiar scent.

Safe. He was safe.

"How are you feeling?" The room was pitch black, the voice disjointed in the darkness.

"Hurts still."

"I know. They were able to seal it up quite nicely with a few gels, but it's still going to bother you for a few days."

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"No, just you. Anise is going around telling everyone that you saved her life. Who knew you had a hero complex?"

"I do not. I was trying to protect Tokunaga, that's all."

Jade burst out laughing. "Oh, that's disappointing. Such a selfless deed would have definitely earned you a nice reward."

Saphir was silent for a moment, no energy to even be annoyed with Jade's teasing. It was simply too good just to be back here, back home again. "What will happen to the replicas?"

"They'll be put on trial. Since the majority of them wish to be treated just like anyone else, well, that includes responsibilities as well as rights. I can't see them avoiding spending their first few birthdays in prison."

"They didn't understand, Jade. They didn't understand that they weren't the same as their originals. I'm not excusing what they did, but… I wasn't any different."

"And now?"

"You're never too old to start over, right?"

"No, never. Do you remember what you said as I was carrying you out of the cavern?"

"I remember." He was quiet again. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself about. It's my problem, Jade. It's always been my problem, and I'll deal with it. I've been dealing with it for a long time now."

He was suddenly aware of a warm finger stroking his cheek. "You know better than anyone else the trouble I've always had understanding emotions. They never made much sense to me, and I especially never understood the concept of love. But all I know is that when I thought that by refusing to give into their demands, by knowing I could not give in, that I had killed you, I wanted to hit my knees and bawl like an infant. I couldn't imagine losing you again, not and surviving it. If that isn't love, then it's the best I can do and you'll have to accept it. If it's not love, then I don't know what else to call it."

He sighed. "I can't release you from your bond, you know. That's not up to me, and I wouldn't do that even if I could. Your status here hasn't changed; it can't change. Can you live with that?"

"I wasn't expecting it to change. I can live with whatever I have to, just to be with you." The joy was almost too much to bear.

The pain in his shoulder no longer mattered, vanished as for the briefest second warm lips found his, and he whimpered when the contact was broken. "Now, that's all you're getting until you're healed. Go back to sleep, Sapphire."

There was no lit fireplace, but the arm around him was warm, the blankets were soft, and the bed was so deep it seemed to embrace him. There had been no fireworks, or flowers, and no tearful declaration of love and devotion, but this was better. This was real.

Real was better than he could have ever imagined.

*************************************

"He's going to like me better, you know." Saphir commented as they rode the elevator to their floor in the expensive hotel.

"Michael is not going to like you better. It's obvious I'll be his favorite. He's already showing signs of being an extremely bright boy."

Saphir thought of the tiny copy of Nephry they'd just visited, and smiled to himself. They'd just see who which uncle he preferred; the one who could help him with his math homework, or the one already planning to give him a robot that would do the homework for him.

Jade chuckled to himself and unlocked the door of the hotel room. Saphir paused, and gave him a suspicious look before entering. "I'm sure it's just coincidence they gave us this room."

"Of course it's not. I requested it. Oh look, they patched up the hole in wall."

Glaring, Saphir reached up and rubbed the back of his skull. Jade laughed again, and pulled him into a kiss. "Don't pout. I thought you'd like something pleasant to scream about in here this time."

"That's not funny!"

"That's a matter of opinion, and as usual yours is wrong. Oh, I've arranged for the current owners of my old house to be absent tomorrow. I thought you and I could go have a look around, see what they've done with the place. Of course, if they had any idea what I intend to do to you in our old corner of the library, I would have probably had to pay them a bit extra."

Saphir couldn't formulate a coherent response to that. He instead focused on turning down the bed. "Michael really is a handsome child. We'll have to have him come stay with us sometimes. We have the room." His voice turned sulky. "It's not even like we have any pets to take up space."

"_Your Majesty, may I present to you Lord Perry, the first rappig ever gestated completely in an artifical womb." _

_Jade motioned to the tiny, blanket-wrapped bundle in Saphir's arms. Saphir wasn't looking particularly happy._

"_Oh…, come to Daddy." Peony moved forward, reaching out his arms toward the bundle. Saphir held it out after a moment, and Peony went to take it. He tugged on the blanket. Saphir tugged back. The emperor gave him an odd look and tugged harder. Saphir's grip was like iron._

"_Saphir, the entire point of this was to give him the rappig. Let go of Perry."_

_Saphir glared at Peony and reluctantly released the little animal into the emperor's care. "You be careful with him. He's far more delicate than those beasts you currently have."_

"_I'll treat him like a prince, I promise." He moved the blanket aside and started down into the tiny face. "See? See? He's smiling. I told you he could smile."_

"I think we'll definitely have to have him over, if only to give him a chance to thaw out now and then. And as for pets, I have all the pets I can handle at the moment. " Jade sat down on the bed and pulled Saphir down next to him, and the light in his eyes caused his "pet" to blush.

Jade leaned backward onto the bed, continuing to pull on Saphir forward until the smaller man was straddling him, his knees on the bed on either side of Jade's hips. He reached up and ghosted his knuckles across Saphir's cheek, the blood-red eyes that had sent hundreds screaming in terror soft with love.

"Now, given how warm they tend to keep this facility, I believe we're overdressed. I suggest you find a way to remedy that."

"As Master wishes."

********************

_He drew a circle that shut me out_

_Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout_

_But love and I had the wit to win_

_We drew a circle that took him in._

_-Edwin Markham_


End file.
